Going to law school in your 40s: Worst idea ever?

Post date: 2018-09-13 03:31:29

I'm kicking around the idea of law school because I think it would open doors to careers that would be more fulfilling than the one I have now. But: I'm already 40. Is this a Very Bad Idea? What about Master of Laws/Master of Science in Law vs. a full JD?

I'm a communications professional in the nonprofit sector, but I'm coming to realize that I want to have more of a direct impact on public policy. I'm not interested in a biglaw career--I'm looking at nonprofit, government, maybe even academia.

I've wanted to go to law school for a while, but the financial crisis derailed any possibility of it for about 7 years, and then life just got in the way. But now my finances are finally more stable, and I still have 25-30 working years ahead of me, so I feel like it's a good time to begin considering the changes I've been wanting to make for a while.

So: Is a Master of Law worth the time/money? What's its credential value in the workplace? And can it count toward a JD in the future? I may not need to be an attorney to do the work I eventually do, but if I'm going to go that far, I'd at least want to leave the door open to pursue the JD without wasting that year.

I realize money is not an inconsiderable part of this equation--but for the moment I want to consider it separately.

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